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shadowdarlings · 5 months ago

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Rain & Redemption II

Tamlin x Reader

Synopsis : The Lord of Spring has returned, with his nightingale in tow. While readapting to civilized life you and Tamlin face reality together.

part one

Pairings : TamlinxReader

a/n : so i am really digging the first part of this story and decided that i want to continue writing at 12:07am so i hope you enjoy this as much as i did <3

Warnings : slight angst (with comfort), mentions of trauma, suggestiveness, as always possessive tamlin (in a good way)

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Dinner with Tamlin was a drawn out affair. The deer he hunted down, no doubt in his beast form, had to be prepped and cooked. While he began dressing the fallen creature you took it upon yourself to begin sifting through the discarded and destroyed artifacts that littered the dining area. Although the manor had been shredded and abandoned, you couldn’t help but marvel at its refreshing beauty. Here there was light. Massive glass windows looked out to a rose garden that was surely once well manicured. The sun had already started its descent past the horizon but light still streamed in from every corner. The manor was everything that your home under that gods forsaken mountain wasn’t. The Hewn City was all darkness and stale air. You began sorting things into two piles. Items that were fairly unharmed were deemed “to keep”, others that had been completely torn apart were tossed into a discard pile. The two of you worked diligently in silence until he looked up from the deer and said, “You never told me your name.” You tore your gaze from the chipped vase in your hands and met his stare. “You never asked,” you began with a playful smugness, “but it’s Y/N.” Something unreadable flickered in his green eyes before a slight smirk cracked on his face. “Well, Y/N,” he said with a dramatic pause, “our dinner is ready to be cooked. How do you like your venison?”

You both agreed that without a working kitchen that a fire would be the best way to roast the deer. While he built a fire you toyed with an idea. “What if we preserved some of this beautiful bounty into something that will last beyond a night?” you asked him. Tamlin threw another piece of wood onto the makeshift fire and answered your question with his own. “As in a jerky? How do you mean?” That was exactly what you had meant. The future of your time in this manor and when you would next have a full meal was entirely uncertain. The topic had hardly been broached. “Unless you intend to spend the rest of your days hunting and building fires, it might be a prudent idea.” He looked you over before replying, “Smart, little bird. We’ll make two steaks for tonight and dry out the rest. It should preserve overnight and we can feast on jerky for weeks.” Satisfied with your quick thinking you helped him prepare the meat for roasting.

“What did you mean when you said you are not fit to be a ruler?” you asked after another bout of silence. Tamlin stilled his spinning of your dinner over the fire and his gaze shot to the flames between you. “I’m sorry,” you quickly said, “If I’m prying too much.” He did not look up from the inferno but said quietly, “I have abandoned my people and my post. Those who reside in the Spring Court put their faith in me. I have failed them again and again, in so many ways.” You blinked once at his brutal honesty before prodding further. “Will they not look to you once more? Surely there is a way to regain their trust.” His eyes moved from the fire to your own. They were filled with such sadness, such regret. “I would not know where to start, little nightingale.” You scoffed lightly as his response. “Well,” you began, “I think leaving those woods and coming home is already a start, wouldn’t you say? If you’re willing to return just to ensure the safety of a lone Night Court citizen, I can’t imagine what you might be willing to do for your people.” The sadness in his eyes faded ever so slightly as he said, “Since you’re so full of wisdom tonight, pray tell how might I continue this path of redemption?” You smiled at that.

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Tamlin was restless. Every time he started to fade away, sleep evaded him and he was jolted awake by poisoned memories. He had declared that he wanted to sleep outside the manor to stay alert for any looters or more dangerous creatures. He’d shifted into his beast form and taken post directly in front of the entrance just as night had overtaken the Spring Court. Truly, he was not sure if he was ready to sleep under this roof again. The two of you had talked for hours, discussing your histories and what the future of the Spring Court might look like. He’d escorted you to your room and bid you a gentlemanly goodnight, but your conversation replayed in his mind endlessly. A loose plan had been set in place to begin repairing his relations with those that depended on him. You had been so eager and determined while you both brainstormed ideas for making amends. He admired your tenacity yet was not fully convinced that this plan would work effectively. The thought made him queasy. His heart began a pace that tightened his chest and he was sure that if he’d been in his fae form that his palms would be sweaty. Tamlin shoved his anxieties down and recalled what you had told him about Rhysand, about how he’d condemned the entire Hewn City to a life of cruelty and rot. Although the idea of tomorrow sent him into an unending panic, he did not wish for you or any of his people to endure the same neglect for another moment.

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The morning light creeped in through the open window in your bedroom. It took a moment to recall everything that had happened, where you now were. The bedding had been dusty but a few shakes had it cleaner than before. You didn’t mind dirt, you’d spent a year lying on the forest floor. Waking up in a soft bed had become unfamiliar, but you relished the softness of the pillows and blankets before sitting to stretch your limbs. Moving to the armoire, you sifted through the clothing to find a pale green dress and a set of cream slippers. The outfit was plain but you didn’t particularly mind. Your mission for today did not require glittering attire. You fixed your hair into a loose braid and pulled two strands from the front to frame your face. After giving yourself a once over in the looking glass you deemed your appearance fit for the task at hand.

Tamlin was already dressed in a tunic and pants that were similar in style to the night before. You only gave yourself a moment to admire his wide shoulders before clearing your throat. He turned from his work on the piles you had created the night before and said “Good morning,” before he faltered. His eyes widened slightly and dragged up and down your figure. Meeting your gaze once more he choked out, “Well don’t we look the picture of Spring today?” You rolled your eyes at him and moved to take the picture frame from his hands. “We have a job to do, remember?” Tamlin huffed out a weak laugh before replying, “How could I ever forget?” He looked tired. You wondered if he slept as marvelously as you did. Considering that he spent the night on a set of marble stones you didn’t know how he possibly could.

The two of you moved outside to where the deer had been smoking overnight. Indeed it had preserved itself into a jerky that would remain edible for weeks. He started packing the strips into the wooden bin you had found in the kitchens when you said, “I have another idea.” He did not pause his movement or even look at you as he said, “Of course you do.” You pulled a basket from behind your back and waved it in front of his face to draw his attention. “I was thinking,” you began, “we should gather some flowers to take as well. These gardens are completely overrun. There are flowers and berries that need culling anyhow.” He straightened and assessed the gardens before the manor. “As you wish,” was all he said. Tamlin had been quieter than he was last night. You thought it best not to pry further and with his permission granted made your way into the thick of the garden and began collecting the fruits of spring.

When your basket was full and Tamlin had stored all of the dried meat you both began your trek to the nearest village. On horseback, he had told you, it would only take a half hour to reach your destination. After the fall of Spring his array of horses had all been stolen or set free by anonymous citizens. After two hours of walking the two of you were tired and parched. A nearby stream trickled with fresh water and you both drank deeply from its supply. “It’s just over that hill,” he said. The hike had been mostly silent. You were learning to enjoy quiet moments with the High Lord. It was almost as if you had a mutual understanding that the silence was not rude, but instead a peaceful reprieve. “No turning back now,” you said, standing from the stream and straightening your lightweight gown. He grunted in acknowledgment as you both continued your parade to the village.

The sight of the meager town was heartbreaking. Several houses and shops had fallen into rubble and the village center had looked as equally abandoned as the manor. Tamlin halted immediately, his breath quickening. Sensing his discomfort you moved to lace your fingers between his, squeezing tightly. The High Lord did not balk from your touch but instead gave a light squeeze back and continued his approach. The two of you reached a small home that had a plume of smoke rising from a stone chimney. A sign of life. Unlocking your hands you raised a fist and gave two sharp knocks to the wooden door. A few moments of shuffling and then the door swung open to reveal a gruff looking fae male. His eyes first landed on you, then travelled upwards to the towering Lord behind you. The male’s eyes widened with shock and reproach. “To what do I owe the honor of this visit?” he spat at you both. You calmed the annoyance that flowed through you and made your voice gentle as you said, “I- We come to offer a favor to you and your home.” The male looked down at your basket and the dried jerky Tamlin held in his hand. “We don’t need your charity,” the male responded, “we’ve been fairing well enough on our own, girl.” A sweet voice sounded from further into the house, “Mikah? Who is it?” A pretty looking female stepped into the light of the entrance and put her hand on Mikah’s arm. When she turned her gaze to the two of you her expression almost mirrored the males’. “Our High Lord and his… this girl have brought favors.” She looked down to the goods you had presented and back to Mikah. “I told them we were just fine,” he said with a hint of finality in his tone. The female scoffed at him and observed the two of you once more. “We are most certainly not,” she started. “Invite him and the girl inside.” With that she turned and strode back into the house. Mikah gave Tamlin an incredulous look but opened the door further for you to enter.

The female’s name was Cera, you had learned. She fussed over dishes and refreshments as she lamented about their struggles. The village had been ripe for naga attacks and most residents had decided to evacuate the area for fear of their families. “Mikah did not want to leave, of course. He spends most of his days hunting, although they are not always fruitful.” You and Tamlin listened carefully to her story. There were only a few families that had stayed after his disappearance. They all struggled. You glanced over at Tamlin and were met with a stern face. His jaw was set and his eyes were dark with despair. Underneath the modest wooden table you grasped his hand once more, turning your attention back to Cera. The four of you spoke for several hours. You and Tamlin expressed your willingness to help in any way you could with the naga and the rebuilding of the village. After exchanging the dried meats and gifts from your basket, the two of you made your way back to the front of their house. “Thank you for having us,” you said “It’s been a pleasure making your acquaintance.” Cera reached out to pick up your hands. She looked at you then at Tamlin, her eyes pricked with tears. “Thank you for coming back. We need you,” she said. He nodded his head towards her and straightened as he said, “I could not have done it alone. It will take all of us to rebuild. I am thankful for your time.”

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Tamlin let out a heavy sigh when the two of you began your walk back to the manor. The day had been filled with conversations like the first he’d had with Mikah and Cera. The two of you had made your way to most of the families remaining in the village and presented your gifts as well as your pledges to restore their homes and lives. He was exhausted. Once the two of you had crested the hill overlooking the town he paused. You looked at him in curiosity. He was overwhelmed with emotions… gratitude, despair, grief, hopefulness, apprehension. Without thinking he grabbed your waist and pulled you close against his chest. He could hear your smooth, calming heartbeat. He breathed in your scent and closed his eyes. Only two days ago he had been more beast than man. Now he was walking on two legs and meeting with the people who had once trusted him. He felt your hands wrap around his middle as you nuzzled into him further. He could have stayed like this forever, but you pulled back looking up at him with those bright gorgeous eyes. “You did well today,” you said to him still in his grasp, “I’m proud of you.” Tamlin hadn’t heard such perfect words in a very long time.

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Taglist : @lilah-asteria @booksnwriting @stained-glass-eyes0708 @anxious-cactus @thrumbolt @jesskidding3 @acotarxreader @nocasdatsgay @scorpioriesling

#acotar #acotar imagine #a court of thorns and roses #acomaf #acosf #acowar #a court of wings and ruin #tamlin redemption arc #tamlin imagine #tamlin x reader #tamlin acotar #tamlin

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pastorfutureletthembe · 5 months ago

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I actually started this blog for one post only. The theory is that the story we are following is currently the 5th timeline.

I would need to watch the donghua again to find hints in the show itself but for now this post is exclusively about the content we keep getting served as fanservice. Now, people nowadays see this word as negative but in this particular case, we are evidently caught in an ARG (Alternative Reality Game), which is AWESOME.

For those who aren't familiar with the concept, it is basically a treasure hunt outside of the original media. For example, if you gather enough clues during your playthroughs of OXENFREE, you'll find the coordinates of an actual place where a real object, a gift FOR FANS was hidden. In the context of Link Click, I believe the rules and answers regarding the worldbuilding are hidden in plainsight for us to discover!

I will make different posts on the clues in lyrics, but for now we're gonna have a talk about VISUALS only. And boy, do we have THINGS to talk about

First things first, let's start with

>>>>> Promotional posters.

I'm opening this analysis with this particular one because it is the most relevant to current events. Black circles are V and white ones are IV. The huge clock is the background isn't supposed to be oriented this way for starters. One V is where XII should be, which could mean our journey starts here. The other V is between Cheng Xiaoshi and Li Tianxi, on the light side, while both VI are on the dark side. Every other VI on this artwork is a broken piece taken out of a quadrant except for the one on the right near Qiao Ling which is still part of the biggest piece.

It is interesting that we don't see any clockhands here, only the quadrant, and the only whole number is 5, ONLY on CXS's introduction.

Not so subtil, the mirror or "painting" is labeled 'V'. Lu Guang is also looking directly at US, viewers.

Probably five lines of five x but we only see 3, of which only the first one got 5x. Four diformed shapes can be seen at LG's left, under V/VI, which could be the four previous failed timelines. You might notice that LINK CLICK is written 5times. The clock says 00:05. Oh, familiar, isnt it?

As you can see, the V is a light in the darkess at Lu Guang's feet. it is a broken piece, though. The fact it is the enlighted one could mean two things. 1) It marks the spot, where we're currently at. 2) Hope. I would argue that until then Cheng Xiaoshi always died and now, at the end of season 2, Lu Guang is in the dark because he never went that far.

VI is there too, in complete darkness, blocked from view by a ring. There is something to say about VII being completely obliterated but I honeslty don't know how meaningful that could be.

>>> It is my understanding that if a character change the past, it breaks the timeline. Past changed, present and future cannot be the same ever again. It doesn't create a new timeline like in MARVEL, there is actually no going back from a changing node, it unravels this world. Either it already happened, allegedly because of Lu Guang, or will happen in the next season, we can suppose that Timeline VI is the actual doomed one. The fact Cheng Xiaoshi is trapped is relevant too. Destroying Present and Future would trapped him in the Past, hence Come back from the dive back in time.

>>>>> Dive Back in Time

There are many things to say about this one, but I'll keep it simple since it's already a long post. Let's start with something a bit out of topic: colors. Why? It actually indicates that LG isn't from the same timeline than CXS and QL. And I swear it would be useful at the end of this post.

Blue and Red are on the same plan, no matter if we're talking about RGB or CMYK, but Green and Magenta are not. It's like CXS and QL are anchoring LG in this reality, but Magenta is not supposed to be part of the mix. Primary colors in photography are Red, Blue and Green; not Magenta. Since we're talking about photography and this is not the original timeline, I think it is intended.

I'll leave the count of squares to you (spoiler: either 5 or 3 (I'll explain this one in another post) :D).

>>>>> Overthink

I recommend you read this glorious meta about this ending. I'll just "correct" mimicha on one point:

The way the hands are "cutting a piece" of the clock; just like in the promotional poster for Train Trail. It indicates 5. I'll also add this one:

If you look carefully, you'll see two words: TIME PARADOX. As said above, a paradox should NOT be possible with the rules LC gave us so far, but it could be related to the possible 6th doomed timeline. The "dark side" could try and make it happen. Just food for thoughts.

If you want more meta on OPs/ENDs, I recommend you also watch this glorious analysis. That's all I have to say for this one regarding the number 5.

>>>>> VORTEX

Not much to say, except for this "blink and you'll miss it" screenshot. If I missed anything, feel free to share with the class!

THE TIDES has, sadly, nothing to offer on this current topic!

>>>>> 3rd Anniversary: Surprising Click

Oh boy, do I have THINGS to say. Don't be surprised when I'll make another post about this Link Click monument haha. Note: 5 PVs were prepared for this anniversary. Coincidence? (I think not).

N O W A N D F O R E V E R

The only 5 clue I found is what looks like a clock with one hand going backwards, from X to IV, it appears while the chorus is playing. That might be a bit farfetched but I'd mention it for archives purpose anyway.

B R E A K

I won't be a smartass by pointing out BREAK is a five letters word but- okay that's infuriating of them if it is on purpose.

Most of it is obvious, the same logic applies, except for the cogs and hourglasses, we see four of each falling. Since LG's shadow/light goes from IV to V, it's safe to assume that those symbolize the four failed/achieved timelines. The ones left behind. I'll probably post something about cogs and hourglasses one day.

A last one, for the road:

S U R P R I S I N G C L I C K

You should take a look at this fan's brain! They did a wonderful work. I already had this part prepared so I'm still gonna share the obvious. Five mics ("time is like music"), and five letters (with photographs inside I'm guessing). Magenta and Green are very flashy in this one.

Oh, here are LG's five magenta squares from Dive Back in Time ;D

Four failed timelines/tasks, and... loading the first out of three chances. (Again, I can't address everything in one post, this one will have a long meta on his own, don't worry :D)

T R A I N T R I A L

Two occurances worth mentionning. Once again, V is the only timeline enlighted.

B U R N I N G P A L A C E

Many things are happening in this one but only one regarding our current meta. If you pay attention, you'll see it several times, while the chorus is playing:

x x x x x

Now, if you remember correctly, green is the exact chromatic opposite, the complementary color of magenta. They aren't on the same plan (primary vs secondary)/from the same timeline. Usually, they color Lu Guang but here, there is no magenta and no Lu Guang. With this in mind, could it be the paradox OVERTHINK warned us about? We can only assume Vein is from the same original timeline as LG. Red and Green are primary colors so yeah, we'll see.

That's all for today folks!

I had this brainworm eating at my life for weeks so I'm very happy that it is finally out there.

| Part 2 |

#link click #shiguang dailiren #时光代理人 #meta

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ishipallthings · 4 months ago

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Cap Iron Man Rec Week 2024 (Mon)

Better Together Monday - July 22nd for @cap-ironman Rec Week

Very excited for Rec Week, hope you guys have fun too!

Remember to show some love for your hard-working creators!

Kludged Together by Veldeia @veldeia (MCU)

When he cut his morning jog short to join Tony Stark on a reconnaissance mission off the East Coast, Steve sure wasn’t expecting to end up stuck on a life raft in the middle of the ocean, his hand knuckle-deep in Stark's chest.

Even the Light is an Illusion by Mizzy (MCU)

Death threats are an unfortunate side-effect of being Tony Stark, so he's learned to ignore them. The problem is, when someone really wants you dead, hiding your head in the sand just kinda exposes your ass. But it's not just Tony's behind on the line. Whoever wants him dead wants him to suffer first, and they're willing to do anything to make that happen. Tony knows there's only one way out. To save Steve, the Avengers, and the general public, Tony has to die. Of course, death isn't always the end, and Tony does what any other self-disrespecting scientist would do: he finds a way to fake his death and avenge his own murder. The trouble is, terrible decisions usually have a terrible price, and this one is no different. Tony has a chance to save the day, but the cost may be more than Tony was ever expecting to pay…

Should You Choose to Accept It by elwenyere @elwenyere (MCU)

After a terrorist attack and a field operation gone wrong, the Avengers realize that Nick Fury's secrets are just the start of a much bigger mystery. Steve and Tony try to keep some things from each other as well, but that can't possibly affect the mission — right?

the things we invent when we are scared by nanasekei @elcorhamletlive (MCU, post-CA:CW)

Steve is trapped in a dream machine, programmed to make him believe he's living his happiest fantasy. Tony goes inside to wake him up, but what he finds is a lot more complicated than he expected.

i was put together wrong by suchmadnesss @suchmadnesss (MCU, post-EG)

Even in his anger, in his misjudgment, or even in the barest glimpses of inadvertent cruelty, everything Tony did was with passion. No matter what, he was always graceful, grandiose, effusive. Incandescent. Tony grows in front of the cameras and keeps a world of expectations balanced on the tightrope of his shoulders, but nothing ever seems to be enough. The hubris is a fallacy and the smirk Steve had always known to be a front isn’t whimsy, as he’d expected; instead, it’s bred. As he follows a couple of his steps, Steve feels as Tony does, which is to say: intensely. Every happiness is a marvel, every pain is acute. The higher they fly, the harder they fall. (In which the stones beckon Steve into a glimpse of Tony's past, and it proves to be his unraveling.)

What You Don't Know by Sineala @sineala (Noir)

In 1941, two strangers meet in a bar. And then Captain America meets Iron Man. And then Steve Rogers meets Tony Stark. They get it right. Eventually. And also they fall out of an airplane.

Let My Hands Do the Soothing by Sineala @sineala (616)

Steve's always been determined to do the right thing, and when Tony is in more trouble than ever, he doesn't hesitate. Severely wounded by multiple attempts on his life, framed for an attack he never committed, Tony is on the run from the government, ready to hunt down the villain responsible and make him pay. But he doesn't have to do it alone. Steve is there for him. But keeping Tony in one piece is harder than Steve thought it would be, and caring for Tony is bringing up feelings that are difficult to keep buried…

and a self rec!

ever be afraid to say by ishipallthings (MCU, EG canon-divergent)

Steve sees it happening a moment just before it does, Tony snapping on the Gauntlet and facing Thanos head-on, eyes bright and ever-defiant. And Steve—Steve’s heart falls to his feet. No.

Hope you guys enjoy the recs, and stay tuned for more! Please mind the tags before reading. Check out my tag for previous years’ rec lists :)

#stevetony #stony #superhusbands #steve x tony #marvel #capimrecweek #fic recs #my rec lists

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doctorofmagic · 5 months ago

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No one asked but here's some thoughts about Stephen's current and future life.

First of all (and to be completely honest), before Blood Hunt, I do think Stephen was starting to find joy in being the Sorcerer Supreme now that things were seemingly going well in his life.

Just to name a few, he befriended his general self, his marriage was rekindled, Mordo was finally locked down, Clea and Umar were starting to find a common ground (at least, they were not enemies anymore) and Donna II happened, blessing their lives. Stephen was finally thriving. He was executing his duties just fine despite the challenges of being Earth's magical defender. Conflict was obviously expected but it was far from the struggles he faced in v4, for instance. There was optimism.

The fact that he seems sad in that Pasqual's post could be about anything but if I was to predict why, I'd say it's because 1) he didn't want to pass the mantle down at this point in his life and 2) he didn't want to pass the mantle down to Victor specifically because well, it's Doom. And let's be real, Jed's interpretation of their relationship is not similar to T&T or Infamous Iron Man or even Secret Wars. Even if Victor is rarely portrayed as a villain these days (more like an antagonist), there's still a certain dread whenever he shows up in stories. So it's only natural for Stephen to be worried about what's coming next.

Personally, I think Victor will not be a bad Sorcerer Supreme. He's competent and incredibly complex. There's altruism in him, especially when it comes to protect Latverians and people in general (Doom 2099 my beloved). And let's not forget about his dramatic ego and petty personality. If anything, I'd go for a gray representation. He will not be the king of altruism (aka Stephen), but he will not be a shallow villain by desecrating the mantle (something I'm pretty sure Mordo would do. Hate that guy). That said... Oh, he's also in for a big surprise, not expecting the burden that comes with such a huge responsibility. But that's just my two cents. Could always be wrong. However, I still remember when he tried to go after Jericho and gave up as soon as the light of the Eye of Agamotto hit him, so... This idea does have canon support.

(panel merely illustrative; from an alt future/reality)

As for Stephen and Clea, what comes next for them? I know the fandom is desperate for domestic vibes and a peaceful era for them. But let's be real, it's Marvel. Also it's Stephen and Clea. For starters, Clea is still the Warlord of Manhattan, which means that area will remain under her protection, tying her to our dimension. As for Stephen... We know him, right? We know he will never stop doing what he does, Sorcerer Supreme or not. We have tons of magic characters doing their jobs. Even when magic was practically dead, he found a way to keep doing good because it's intrinsic of his personality. And let's not forget Wong and W.A.N.D. They still need someone reliable, and I hardly think they'll go for Victor when consulting all things mystical. Oh, and Strange Academy, of course.

Last but not least, every change in status quo hardly lasts more than a year or two in comic books. It happened so many times before: Salomé, Jericho, Loki, even Clea. It was only natural for Victor's turn, given how T&T is such an important book to their mythos.

As for me? I think it's not really fair for me to share my feelings assuming how much I love both Victor and Stephen. I've seen some unhappy fans (and I can't relate, sorry 🥲) and some excited ones.

The reason I'm still kinda blue is merely due to the lack of new announcements, whether it's a new Doctor Strange book or a mini featuring Victor. Also it's almost certain that Jed is done with his work, which hit me like a train. I really don't want to say goodbye to Jed just yet, and seeing his work continue with Moon Knight while going for the X-books makes me a bit bitter. There's still the possibility that he's staying, but it's all conjecture at this point. I mean, I dread that some bad writer comes next, and boi do I have a no-no list. Hopefully, SDCC will shed some light on these dark times of uncertainty.

Well, that's it. Do I ramble a lot? Was not expecting to write such a long post, sorry about that (old testament me comeback?). Just wanted to write down my thoughts since they were making a mess in my head. If anything, I'll still be around for whatever comes next. After all, my love for Stephen knows no shame 🔥

#doctor strange #stephen strange #clea strange #doctor doom #victor von doom #wong #marvel comics

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failed-inspection · 10 months ago

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Rain Wold: Notos, an OC lore dump post

Hii hi, so remember that OC ref post I made? Well! Here's all* the information and lore and stuff related to those goobers and the world they reside in, fair warning though, it's gonna be... Extremely long, and the summaries were made as profile summaries in mind, so there's gonna be some repeated info and/or sentences in some character parts, I did my best to make it as easy to read as I could so I hope you enjoy either way!

*Minus Clump because Clump already has their own dedicated post, and is not a part of the Notos universe to begin with and is entirely disconnected from the rest of my Rain World ocs

Starting off, we have the general information!

See, all the Notosverse characters are located in the southern hemisphere equivalent of the world, hence the name, Notos, referring to the south wind (for added context, I imagine the main game/canon takes place around the northern hemisphere) as a result, there are a few differences:

I imagine the south had a little less of an ancient population then the north, meaning less iterators were built there ( for every 3-4 iterators in the north, 1 iterator was built in the south), so the main local group is TINY, consisting of only three iterators, Fewer iterators means that the environment is less caustic, there are longer rain intervals/cycles as a result of less iterator density, allowing more time for some creatures and flora to adapt, so there are areas with much taller and larger plant life adapted to withstand the rain and such (think the outer expansion slug tree type deal but, slightly smaller and more numerous), alongside beaches and tidepools, creating some environments that feel more akin to a subtropical area (thicker/larger flora that almost make up small rainforests, generally warmer) than anything you would see in the north.

Alongside that, I imagine there's also different species! Of course, while there are some familar faces like lantern mice and some lizard variants, there's also creatures like gliding lizards, essentially rain world analogous to real world gliding lizards that hunt from the canopies, and 'whales', massive aquatic opportunistic omnivores that actually evolved from rain deer! (Or at least, creatures similar to rain deer)!

With that out of the way, Here's the cast! Starting off with the iterators, I'll be going in order of iterator > slugcat > not slugcat > ancient

ARRAY OF PASSERINES

Array of Passerines is... A troubled iterator to say the least. To those who don't know him well, or aren't his local group members, he's aloof and cold at best, and irritable and grumpy at worst, at a glance, it wouldn't be unreasonable to think he just has an attitude problem!

From the moment of his creation, if not even before that, he was put on a pedestal by his citizens, worshipped, even, they'd sing their praises about how he's their holy creation, a testament to how much they can accomplish... Despite that, you'd rarely find AoP having any nice things to say about them, one must wonder, why would he be so annoyed towards his ancients if they viewed him so highly and treated him like a god? His name and puppet's design were made to invoke the imagery of the mighty Miros Vulture, which his colony had considered a sacred symbol, a creature above all, so powerful and foreboding, built only to serve the hands that had built it... Just like the iterator.

Underneath the facade of praise and worship, Array of Passerines' citizens really saw him more as something to brag about, a symbol of their own greatness, their own religious and scientific marvels given form! He was their creation first and foremost, a great iterator that towered above all, tall and foreboding, built only to serve the hands that built it.He was never allowed to stray once from their heavily idealized version of himself, voice an opinion they disagreed with? No. Not like their countless, yet ultimately shallow offerings that are usually given in hopes of having something in return? Nope. never. Oh! How they'd turn their noses up whenever he couldn't do every single little request they wanted, no matter how mundane it was, or how rude they were!The incident with Interpolated Assemblies did not help either, how the moment it was convenient, the citizens of a local group member, his friend, turned on her and hurt her both severely and permanently... To Array of Passerines, this only further proved to him that the ancients are selfish, only caring about the iterators when they were useful to them, how could you dare to say you see us as divine when you're so willing to discard of us the moment we're an inconvenience to you?

Later down the line, His lead creator, Grandmaster, and father figure, Feathered Crests Atop Ivory Wings, echoed in a botched attempt to ascend, forever trapping him apon AoP's city, much to AoP's dismay, he's still able to communicate, more often than not bothering him with the same nonsense he always had, Array of Passerines has made it a goal to find a way to undo being echoed as a result.

Unfortunately, it seems like he can't catch much of a break, many cycles later down the line, a strange little slugcat had found it's way into his structure, and saw his neurons as a tasty treat, while a single slugcat running amok and eating whatever neurons it can get its sluggy little hands on isn't nearly enough to cause any major, or even significant, damage to an iterator, it is still very irritating to feel one scamper around your insides, probably.

Aloof as he could be, AoP does really care for his fellow iterators, especially those in his local group, immensely, even if he does struggle to express it. He isn't quite used to being shown genuine affection, or interest in himself as a person, rather than a larger than life godly figure, but he does truly appreciate such things.

INTERPOLATED ASSEMBLIES

Soft-spoken and gentle, but highly neurotic these days, Interpolated Assemblies is known to be the mediator type, both for her local group and her fellow citizens, she'd do whatever she could to be there for someone, wether it be a shoulder to cry on, or someone to seek advice from, while this may sound great at first, her desire to help everyone often took on the form of a lack of boundaries.

however, back when the ancients were around, a crisis would strike, unknown to everyone at the time, shifting fault lines underneath IA's superstructure had caused the groundwater to shift away from her pipes, while there was still just about enough groundwater to keep her functioning normally without the risk of slag build up or dehydration, it was still the absolute bare minimum, there was very little to be spared for the citizens that lived atop her city. Interpolated Assemblies unfortunately, had no control or say over the matter, if she were to lower her water intake any further, she'd be at major risk of slag buildup, during this time, her two grandmasters, Cumulonimbus Clouds, Hung Overhead, and Thirteen Branches Among Creeping Vines, would come down to her chamber to discuss solutions, only to leave disappointed when she had no answers.

As the cycles passed, and the situation grew more dire, so did the tensity between the two grandmasters. Vines inisted they continued allocating as much water as possible to IA's processes despite the shortage they're facing, as they believed neglecting the needs of the iterator would be akin to biting the hand that fed them.

Nimbus, extremely frustrated with how Vines' seemed to prioritize the well being of a machine over their own people, had decided to take matters in her own hands, with several devoted followers lead by her, she formed a riot, they stormed into the structure of Interpolated Assemblies, and began wrecking her from the inside, damaging several important components of the superstructure in the process. Nimbus had hoped for this to serve as both a wake-up call and reminder as to where, in her perception, the priorities should be, and as a way to hopefully reduce the water intake required by the iterator to allow some to be allocated to the city.

Unfortunately, the components damaged were mainly her Synthesis Modules, the components required to produce purposed organisms within the iterator's structures, such as inspectors, and most other biological iterator components.

Shortly after the aftermath, the cause of the water shortage had been discovered and repairs began, alongside attempts at repairing the components damaged, while they were restored enough to be operational, they were still badly damaged, and have never been able to be fully repaired before the Global Ascension of the ancients. This means Interpolated Assemblies' biological iterator components tend to come out... pretty badly formed, to say the least, which has left her riddled with constant discomfort, general pain, an inability to purpose creatures (at least without them coming out horrifically malformed), and much less control over what happens in her own structure due to inspectors and other critters not being able to do their job and send out their signals as efficiently.

Her physical health wasn't the only thing to be affected by the incident, while Assemblies had always been quite meek, she had ended up becoming a lot more anxious and nervous as a result.

These days, she prefers to sit on the floor of her chamber, rather than float around. Occasionally picking and tearing at her sleeve fabric as a result of a habit she formed. To this day she blames herself for what had transpired during the water shortage, believing that had she been able to be better at mediating the tensions between her two Grandmasters, none of this would have happened.unknown to her, a certain little adventurer had recently taken an interest to her can, and the strange hydras that lurk inside it... (By the way, I actually made a mod that adds her malformed inspectors into the game! Feel free to check it out!)

PIERCING DEPTHS

Surprisingly light-hearted for an iterator, to say Piercing Depths is an extrovert would be an understatement, no doubt about it, you'd you'de more often than not find them inside numerous group chats back when broadcasts were functioning, it'd make you winder, how did they ever spare time to work on The Great Problem?

To answer that question, they didn't, specifically, Piercing Depths didn't really care to work on The Great Problem, as they never saw the appeal of ascension to begin with, if you were to ask them about the matter, they'd have this to say:

"I never understood it, I know it's meant to be in my nature to find a solution, but I can't say I have any desire to. Ascension means to disappear from the physical plane, by doing so means giving up feeling, experiencing, learning, moving, all the joys that come with *existing*, and what good would that be? seems like a terrible trade, giving up everything I know and love just to ascend and be nothing, what's the point in that?"

Of course, that sentiment obviously isn't one shared with everyone, and they did get the occasional "stop lounging in the broadcasts and get back to work" talk from their peers.

When the broadcasts decayed, Piercing Depths began to feel horribly isolated, they began to write journal notes on pearls in an effort to pass the time, eventually, however, they came up with an idea, why not purpose their own companion?

This led to the creation of Wavering Droplets (Aka The Companion); a friendly hybrid between a blue and orange lizard that in all honesty, is essentially a reptilian golden retriever, they were even given the mark of communication!

Wavering Droplets would become Piercing Depths' best friend, every cycle, being allowed out of the can to hunt and explore but always returning to their chamber at the cycle's end.One cycle, however, they failed to return, and Piercing Depths began to get deathly worried, fearing the worst had happened, did they get killed? Eaten? Did they fall off the structure!?

Sending an overseer to patrol the area, they eventually discovered Companion alive and well, hanging out with a slugcat, once they had confirmed their beloved friend's safety... They still could not help but worry, fearing they would eventually forget about them and never return. To Pierce, Droplets was precious and irreplaceable, they couldn't bear to think of that possiblity.

THE LUMINAL

"An abnormality long dormant has awoken deep within, and your presence casts light upon every surface it graces, however, with such a high energy output, your body demands an equally high intake, make haste, and consume all that illuminates"

A strange little slugcat that constantly glows, requiring a steady high energy intake, one could only imagine that Luminal had been created by a fellow iterator for one reason or another.

That isn't the case, at least not entirely. No one had created them, they were just born that way to a colony of wild slugcats. Rather, it was their ancestors who had been purposed, the original line of lantern slugcats had existed even back during ancient times, created by splicing lantern mouse genes into slugcats to bring light in dark mining facilities, once mass ascension had taken place, they'd managed to find their way into the wild, and mixed with the feral slugcat population, eventually breeding out their ability to glow and leaving only a few vestigial spots and the occasional ear pattern, it seems like this is a strange case of an Atavism!

Alongside their natural glow, Luminal has the ability to flashbang enemies as a means of self defense, sacrificing a great deal of energy in doing so. Unfortunately, slugcat bodies were never equipped to output so much energy in the first place, they need to eat as much energy as they lose, typically in the form of eating light sources.

At one point, they had managed to find their way into Array of Passerines' can, and while it has no idea about the fact it had wandered into something that is alive, with all the brilliantly glowing neuron flies swarming around, they essentially found themselves an all you can eat buffet, a single slugcat running amok and eating whatever neurons it can get its sluggy little hands on isn't nearly enough to cause any major, or even significant, damage to an iterator, it is still very irritating to feel one scamper around your insides, and that's not even mentioning how wreckless it can be, from frequently agitating his inspectors to even tearing off and wearing a coral neuron, much to AoP's dismay... He wants that beast to get out.

Mechanics

Honestly their stats are all over the place, a little lighter weight than the average scug, abysmal stealth stats (since they do glow all the time), probably slightly speedier

Pips: •••••••|•••, survivor diet for the most part (save for being able to eat lantern mice), but the amount of food they get from an object entirely depends on how luminescent it is

- Blue fruit + most other none glowing foodstuff gives 1/4 a pip

- Popcorn plants give 1/2 a pip

- mushrooms, centipedes (due to their electricity), Karma flowers, and lilypucks give 1 pip

- Neuron flies, glow weed, and slime mold give two pips

- Lantern mice give 5 pips

- Lanterns and flarebombs can be eaten, and give 10 whole pips

By pressing Jump + up, you can release a flashbang, which not only temporarily blinds enemies, but has a small knockback effect, doing so drains three food pips, so use wisely

THE PIONEER

"A curious beast who finds joy in uncovering the wonders of your world, will you get one step closer to understanding the true nature of what lies above, or will everything you thought you knew about the Monoliths fall apart?"

A slugcat who, true to their name, is a natural born explorer, they frequently leave their colony for cycles at a time, and comes back with plenty of stories to share! Unfortunately, the world view of a slugcat is quite limited, they are an animal, after all, so not everything they think they know is necessarily the truth.

At one point, far before the events of their campaign, they had been grabbed by a vulture, luckily, a characteristic shared by their subspecies, known as ridgeback slugcats, is their waxy tail skirt, while this tail skirt is primarily used to navigate rocky tidal areas more easily, it doubles as a means of defence, allowing one to more easily escape predators, the resulting fall resulted in them damaging the cartilage of one of their ears, leaving it permanently lopsided, though they made a full recovery other than that.

Shortly Before the events of their campaign, they had managed to sneak their way into the can of Interpolated Assemblies during one of their adventures, and what a sight to behold it was, strange long creatures floated around, turning aggressive the moment they spotted them, they needed to get out fast!

Upon returning to their colony, Pioneer excitedly told their fellow slugcats about their newest discovery, they had found the source of the rain! Massive flying serpents, sometimes with multiple heads, that lived in a huge den above the clouds, those serpents must be responsible for the rain!

Their campaign is them going on a journey to return to that strange structure in an effort to learn more about what exactly is going on, perhaps they'll find out more than they'd ever thought possible.

(Pioneer had never met Interpolated Assemblies' puppet before their campaign story, so they have no idea that the structure they're wandering in is in fact alive, and those 'serpents' are simply the white blood cells for a much larger creature... At least for now!)

Mechanics

- generally has similar base stats to survivor, albeit a slightly longer breath timer

- Pip count: ••••|•••, survivor diet

- Waxy Tailskirt makes it easier to escape creature grasps, press jump to escape a creature bite, however, the wax does wear down each time you're caught, so this ability can only be used a finite amount of times per cycle, the first time requires you to press jump three times, the second time requires you to press jump 6 times, and the third time will require you to press 10 times, with added exhaustion for three seconds, afterwards, you will not be able to get out of creature grasps for the rest of the cycle, so be careful, alongside that, your chances of being killed to a bite are lower on those three chances (though the chances do increase until they reach the usual chances with each time you escape)

- the wax also makes it so that your slides and slide pounces are able to cover more distance

- your map has different graphics that look more akin to something hand drawn, you also have some region maps already covered for you as well, woohoo!

THE POET

"An unusually secluded member of your kind, you find companionship in what would normally consider you as prey, perhaps the bonds you forge will pave a path towards something you never could have imagined."

Poet is quite the critter, it's not uncommon to see them hanging around, feeding, or even playing with lizards, they appear to have an unusual affinity with them, seeing them much more as friends than foe, despite what their friendly title and behavior towards lizards would suggest, they aren't a complete pacifist, in fact, they have gained quite the negative reputation between squidcadas and other creatures, the reason? They have no issue hunting them down to feed their scaly friends.

One cycle, they had encountered a strange, but badly injured lizard, rushing to action, Poet took them to the nearest shelter, and began nursing them back to health, the two would become inseparable ever since, and so begins a journey together, as something beckons their newfound friend home...

Mechanics

- For the most part, they have the base stats of survivor, albeit with a lower jump height

- ••••|•••, survivor diet, but gains half a pip more from eating from plant matter

- extremely high reputation with lizards, but low reputation with every other creature that uses the reputation system.

- For the most part, Poet themselves doesn't have any unique mechanics, their true mechanics come from their tamed lizard friend, The Companion!

- by pressing grab, you're able to ride the companion, doing so essentially gives you safari mode control over them (arrows to move, jump to use toungue, throw to hiss, and pickup to bite), pressing grab + throw let's you get off of them, thanks to their blue lizard genes, they're able to climb walls, which is especially useful given Poet's limited jump height, alongside having a blue lizard tongue, when you're not riding them, they will follow you and attempt to protect you from threats

- unfortunately, The Companion has some drawbacks as well, you will be unable to grab items while riding them, and similarly to slugpups, they have their own food bar ••|•, and must be fed every cycle, alongside that, they have the same health as a blue lizard (albeit this health is regenerated every cycle), due to their yellow lizard genetics, being near yellow lizard packs can cause them to turn on you, as they struggle to resist their signals, so care must be taken.

THE COMPANION (AKA WAVERING DROPLETS)

As would be suggested by their title, The Companion, or their true name, Wavering Droplets, was well... Created for the sake of companionship! Made by Piercing Depths, They're essentially a golden retriever in lizard form, bearing both the genetics of blue and yellow lizards, blue for their relatively less dangerous natures and ability to climb walls, and yellows for their intelligence and fantastic location memory.

Each cycle, Piercing Depths would allow them to leave their structure, after all, a lizard does need to hunt and run, at the end of each cycle, they would return to Pierce's can, typically sleeping next to and enjoying being pet by them.

One cycle, however, disaster struck, during one of their hunting sessions, Companion had fallen off the lower ends of one of the structure's legs, while they thankfully fell at a survivable height, or at least something had managed to cushion their fall. They still had gotten severely injured, to the point of being unable to properly move, had they been left in that state, it would have been likely that either a predator would have considered them an easy meal, or the rain could have drowned them.

Thankfully, neither would be the case, as a certain lizard loving slugcat would find them in just the nick of time. They would take them to shelter, and nurse to them back to health, from feeding them to tending to their injuries, the two would become inseparable ever since.

Unfortunately, being a hybrid has its drawbacks, Companion doesn't have much health, being only a little stronger than a yellow lizard, alongside that, the two 'ears" that they bear are in fact, small, but still semi functional antennae, As a result of their Orange lizard genetics, The Companion struggles to resist signals sent out by Orange lizards to alert members of their packs.

Piercing Depths began to get deathly worried, fearing the worst had happened to their beloved scaly friend, and sent an overseer to patrol the area, they eventually discovered Companion alive and well, hanging out with The Poet, once they had confirmed their safety... They still could not help but worry, fearing they would eventually forget about them and never return. To Pierce, Droplets was precious and irreplaceable, they couldn't bear to think of that possiblity.

FEATHERED CRESTS ATOP IVORY WINGS

"What have we here?

A clueless beast, so simple and frail, wandering atop the roof of my Legacy.

Tell me, little mouse, would your soul fill with awe if I were to tell you that the metal you tread on is breathing? would you think that the hands that had built this god are in fact, mighter than their own creation?

And yet, he has the audacity to disrespect those who had given him this gift of giving.

Fool! It is a creation's birthright to serve its creators!"

While there is no doubt that Feathered Crests Atop Ivory Wings has a brilliant mind, Being both the lead creator of the Array of Passerines iterator project, and the grandmaster of his city prior to becoming an echo, a brilliant mind unfortunately does not necessarily mean a humble soul, his accomplishments had always been fuel for his ego, being one to boast about his greatness, afterall, he's the one to have been behind the creation of an iterator! He's the one to rule a city! How could he not!?

This pompousness, however, would soon get the better of him, in a botched attempt to ascend using a void fluid bath, Crests would become an echo, permanently trapped inside Array of Passerines' city, despite this, he'd still be capable of communicating and making his presence known to the Iterator, much to Array of Passerines' dismay, leading to AoP trying to figure out a way to undo the echoing process, to have Crests truly be able to ascend... To finally get rid of him.

See, Array of Passerines had never been fond of his father figure, Crests had always used his existence and creation as a way to boast about himself, but had also expected Passerines to agree with him on everything without question or doubt, or immediately do any task requested of him, no matter how mundane or time wasting, with Crests quickly becoming angry whenever he'd fail to do so, scolding him for 'being ungrateful to his creators.'

CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS, HUNG OVERHEAD

"our true kin are suffering for the sake of this construct."

Blunt, yet noble and determined, there is a lot to say about Nimbus.

Having grown up her whole life on the city atop Interpolated Assemblies, the iterator was simply seen as a part of life to most, from visiting her puppet since she was little, to more often than not, catching glimpses of her overseers around.

In all honesty, She always felt it a bit unnerved by their watchful eyes. She must admit, her faith in the iterators had always been a little skewed, something about how people would be so quick to place their faith in them felt off, and she often found herself asking many questions in her mind; is there a reason why we must treat our tools as holy? As an equal or even above us? Why must we devote ourselves to it so blindly?

she'd begin to study politics In her formative years, and later, had ended up becoming one of the Grandmasters of cabinet, alongside Thirteen Branches Among Creeping Vines, now a leader, she hoped to ensure the best future she could for her people.

Eventually however, a crisis struck, unbeknownst to everyone at the time, shifting fault lines underneath IA's superstructure had caused the groundwater to shift away from her pipes, while there was still just about enough groundwater to keep Interpolated Assemblies functioning normally without the risk of slag build up or dehydration, it was still the absolute bare minimum, there was very little to be spared for the citizens that lived atop her city.

Despite that, Vines inisted that they continued allocating as much water as possible to IA's processes despite the shortage they're facing, as they believed neglecting the needs of the iterator would be akin to biting the hand that fed them.

Frustrated with how Vines' seemed to prioritize the well being of a machine over their own people, Nimbus had decided to take matters in her own hands, with several devoted followers lead by her, she formed a riot, they stormed into the structure of Interpolated Assemblies, and began wrecking her from the inside, damaging several important components of the superstructure in the process. Nimbus had hoped for this to serve as both a wake-up call and reminder as to where, in her perception, the priorities should be, and as a way to hopefully reduce the water intake required by the iterator to allow some to be allocated to the city.

In the aftermath of her protest, Nimbus' actions had been declared sacrilegious and deplorable, she had been stripped of her title, and exiled to the lands below. After all, why should you have the privilege to live atop our iterator if you're so willing to break her apart!?

What became of her fate afterwards however, remains unknown, whether she lived out the rest of her life as a nomad among the rain, or had become an echo, a victim of the fith karmic urge, is anyone's guess, but one thing is for certain, the aftermath of her legacy continues to haunt Interpolated Assemblies' depths to this day.

THIRTEEN BRANCHES AMONG CREEPING VINES

"Do not let your arrogance blind you to the realities of our dependence!"

Devoted and levelheaded, Thirteen Branches among Creeping Vines was a Monk-turned Grandmaster who lived atop the city of Interpolated Assemblies, working alongside Cumulonimbus Clouds, Hung Overhead.

With a sense of faith as unfaltering as their decisions, and more often than not, the former affecting the latter, while they weren't particularly aggressive in their reign, for better or for worse, they are not one to be so swayed easily.

Vines was always devoted to spirituality, having originally been a monk since they were a young adult, before being elected to become a Grandmaster Of Cabinet, even after this drastic shift in position, Vines did their best to remain humble, and continued working toward their path to enlightenment.

Vines' stubbornness on the matter led Nimbus to take matters into her own hands, with several devoted followers lead by her, she formed a riot, they stormed into the structure of Interpolated Assemblies, and began wrecking her from the inside, damaging several important components of the superstructure in the process.

In the aftermath of her protest, Nimbus' actions had been declared sacrilegious and deplorable, she had been stripped of her title, and exiled to the lands below. After Nimbus' exilement, Vines became the sole grandmaster of Interpolated Assemblies' city, being the one to order and overlook her repairs up until The Great Ascension. What became of them after the fact however, remains unclear, though it is likely that they did manage to successfully ascend.

#rw #rain world #my art #Long post #Long #rain world oc #rw oc #rwocstuff #rw slugcat oc #rw iterator oc #rw ancient oc #my ocs #I am. So sorry this is so long wah #rw oc lore #Ngl reblogs are highly appreciated since admittedly this took at least a week overall to write down /nf!!#Either way I hope you enjoy my goober lore!!#slugcat oc #iterator oc #rw lizard oc

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ghostinthelibrarywrites · 2 years ago

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yennskier and 27 please 🌻

27. Fixing their hair/clothes just before they run out the door

Here's some post-season 2 softness! Geralt doesn't appear, but you can assume there's some background Geraskefer going on.

“Fuckity fucking buttons,” Jaskier grumbles under his breath. “Who the fuck decided that buying a doublet with a million tiny buttons was a good idea?”

No one answers, because Geralt and Ciri are out hunting some beastie or another. But if Geralt was here, he would surely point out that it was Jaskier who commissioned this doublet from one of the finest tailors in Oxenfurt months ago. And it’s a marvelous piece of craftsmanship—periwinkle silk with deep blue embroidery and rows of tiny pearlescent buttons fastening up the front and the sleeves.

It’s just that post-fire fucker, Jaskier’s fingers, which still get numb and tingly at inconvenient times, aren’t quite up to the task. They fumble over the delicate buttons and he keeps fastening them up wrong, then having to redo it.

Sometimes, being the Continent’s most fashionable bard is a burden.

Yet again, Jaskier realizes that he’s fastened the last three buttons up wrong, leaving an awkward gap and making a terrible mess of things. Breathing hard through his teeth, he accepts that this may be too monumental a task for one man. He slips out of the room he and Geralt are sharing—looking around to ensure that no one sees him in such a slovenly state—before knocking on the door of Yennefer and Ciri’s room.

“What, bardling?” Yennefer calls through the door.

Jaskier sighs. “I need your help.”

“I’m afraid there’s nothing that can be done. You’re far beyond help.”

“I haven’t even told you what the problem was!”

“You don’t need to.”

“Yennefer.” He lets a whine creep into his voice, because he knows it will make her roll her eyes. “Please.”

There’s a longer-than-necessary pause, undoubtedly while she finishes her glass of virgin’s blood and tucks away her cloven hooves, before Yennefer opens the door and scowls up at him. “What is it?”

Jaskier gestures to himself. “I can’t get the buttons to cooperate and I told the innkeep I’d sing for our suppers tonight. I can’t do that looking like this.”

She arches one eyebrow, but steps backwards to let him into her room. “You normally don't object to walking around with your doublet hanging open."

“Yes, but we’re trying to keep a low profile and we can hardly do that if every maiden in the village falls swooning at the sight of my hirsute chest.”

“Yes, a low profile.” Yennefer looks him over pointedly. “I’m sure dressing like the Passiflora’s finest in a Koviri backwater won’t draw any attention.”

Jaskier takes in her black lace gown. “What about dressing like the witch that locked the fairytale princess in the tower?”

She snorts and bats his hands away, undoing several buttons deftly before beginning to refasten him. He can feel the warmth of her hands through the thin, silky fabric of his chemise. For a moment, he loses himself in watching her nimble fingers work. She has such small, pretty hands. He would think them delicate, if not for the fact that he’s seen her snap a man’s spine with a flick of one of those lovely fingers.

It’s not until she looks up at him in annoyance that he realizes she said something. “Yes?”

“Your fingers are still bothering you?” she asks.

“Occasionally,” Jaskier says with a shrug. “The pads of my thumb and forefinger just get a bit numb sometimes. It doesn’t get in my way too much, only when dealing with absurdly tiny buttons.”

“That shouldn’t still be happening.”

“Geralt took me to a real hack of a healer, the stingy fucker.”

Yennefer pinches him through the doublet, which he deserves. He whines pathetically, because he knows it will make her happy.

“I’ll mix you up another salve tonight.” She fastens up the buttons at his throat, her fingers so close he can’t resist dipping his chin to kiss them. She flicks his nose in retaliation. “Try to actually use this one for its intended purpose.”

“It’s not my fault you put the last salve next to my tea! Accidents happen.”

“Only to you,” she says as she buttons up the last button and steps back.

Jaskier tugs at his collar, grimacing. “Well, you don’t need to button me all the way up. We wouldn’t want to deprive the lovely ladies of Kovir of all my charms. There are so few charms to be had in Kovir.”

Yennefer makes a disgusted noise, but unbuttons the top three buttons of his doublet. “That’s as far as I’m going. The lovely ladies of Kovir should be spared the sight of your nipples. This damn kingdom has enough problems.”

“If you want to keep my nipples all to yourself, Yennefer, you only have to ask.”

Yennefer tips her head back and guffaws. “I think that ship has sailed, given how low you normally keep your doublets open.”

“You’re right. If nothing else, Geralt might object.”

She rolls her eyes at him as she buttons up his sleeves. When she’s done, she steps back. “Alright, you’re perfectly fit to play in a dusty Koviri tavern to a room full of uninterested drunks.”

“Sweet words of encouragement like that soothe the poet’s soul.” Jaskier clasps his hands to his chest.

“Go play your set, bardling.” Her lips curl into a smile. “And do let me know if you need help unbuttoning yourself after your performance.”

Jaskier finds himself grinning stupidly. “And yet another maiden finds herself swooning before—”

“Get out before you talk too much and I take back my offer.”

“Leaving now.” Jaskier backs towards the door. “Thank you, Yennefer. You’re a jewel of generosity, as always.”

She waves a dismissive hand, but she’s still smiling.

If Jaskier has an extra spring in his step for the rest of the night, well, who can blame him?

Tag list: @kueble @mollymawkwrites @feral-jaskier @geraltrogerericduhautebellegarde @dawnofbards @thisislisa @tsukiwolf42 @mosaicscale @rockysstupidity @fontegagrilledcheese @kuripon @help-i-need-a-cool-username @julek @flowercrown-bard @eveljerome

#the witcher #yennskier #yenskier #jaskier x yennefer #jaskier/yennefer #jaskier #yennefer of vengerberg #ghost's writing #prompt fills

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mariacallous · 2 months ago

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Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester and Republican challenger Tim Sheehy spent a full seven minutes of Monday night’s one-hour debate sparring over the issue of federal public lands.

Tester, who is running for a fourth term in a pivotal race that could ultimately decide which party controls the Senate next year, repeatedly painted Sheehy as a threat to America’s public lands and the Montana way of life.

He referred multiple times to HuffPost’s reporting that first revealed Sheehy called for federal lands to be “turned over” to states or counties; failed to disclose his post on the board of the Property and Environment Research Center, a Bozeman-based property rights and environmental research nonprofit with a history of advocating for privatizing federal lands; and appeared to doctor a recent TV ad to remove PERC’s logo from the shirt he was wearing.

Sheehy largely avoided engaging in the specifics of Tester’s attacks, instead continuing a muddled effort to rewrite his record on the issue and accusing Tester of trying to tear down any organization he has been affiliated with.

The extensive back-and-forth came after Montana PBS journalist John Twiggs asked the candidates which entities are best equipped to manage the approximately 27 million acres of federal lands in Montana while maintaining public access.

“Bottom line: Public lands belong in public hands,” Sheehy said.

Tester marveled at what he described as Sheehy’s “incredible transformation on this issue” while warning voters to “watch out what people say in back rooms.”

“What they say in back rooms, when they don’t think the recorder is going or the camera is running, is usually what they think,” he said. “And Tim said we need to turn our lands over to either his rich buddies or county government. That’s not protecting public lands.”

Tester was referring to comments Sheehy made to a ranching podcast last October, shortly after launching his Senate bid. As HuffPost first reported, Sheehy told the “Working Ranch Radio Show” that “local control has to be returned, whether that means, you know, some of these public lands get turned over to state agencies, or even counties, or whether those decisions are made by a local landlord instead of by, you know, federal fiat a few thousand miles away.”

While Sheehy has spent the past year doing damage control on this issue, claiming he opposes the sale or transfer of federal lands despite his own words to the contrary, his comments Monday make clear that when he says “public hands,” he means the hands of Montanans only.

“Public lands belong to the public, that’s you — the people of Montana,” Sheehy said. “Public lands belong to the people, especially those who live amongst them. And I believe that if you’re a Montanan and you share a fence line with National Forest property, if you’re a rancher who has a [Bureau of Land Management] grazing lease, if you live next to state trust land, you should have more input into what happens on that land than bureaucrats 3,000 miles away.”

Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL and multimillionaire businessman, owns a sprawling ranch in Martinsdale, Montana, that, notably, shares a fence line with Forest Service land and once offered high-dollar hunting excursions with what it called “private access to over 500,000 acres of National Forest.”

Sheehy’s position — that federal agencies are poor stewards of the federal estate and that locals know best how to manage federal lands — disregards the fact that federal lands, in Montana and everywhere else, are held in trust for all Americans, regardless of where they live, not just those who happen to live next door.

“I, absolutely, will every day advocate for more local control of those lands, because I believe they belong to you, not the government,” Sheehy said.

Sheehy is walking the same fine line as many members of the GOP. Republicans in Western states have spent decades working to wrest control of federal lands from the federal government. But broad public support for protecting public lands has forced them to largely abandon calls for outright transfer and sale and instead advocate for giving states broad management authority — a move that would ultimately allow them to achieve many of the same industry-friendly goals that would come with stripping lands from federal control.

Again and again, Tester brought the conversation back to Sheehy’s record.

“Tim even served on a think tank, on their board of directors, that’s job was to privatize our public lands,” Tester said. “In Tim’s case, his view of turning these lands over to counties or opening ’em up for his rich friends to buy them, is just the wrong direction to go for Montana.”

Sheehy defended himself with a false claim about PERC: “No one, including myself, in that organization has ever advocated for selling our public lands — never have, never will.”

In fact, in a 1999 policy paper titled “How and Why to Privatize Federal Lands,” PERC’s then-director, Terry Anderson, and others laid out what they called “a blueprint for auctioning off all public lands over 20 to 40 years.” (PERC previously told HuffPost that that paper “is not representative of PERC’s current thinking.”)

“Tim, it’s time to be honest with the people of Montana,” Tester fired back. “You were on a board of an organization that wanted to privatize our public lands. In fact, you even dulled out a badge on one of your ads of a shirt that you wore that was promoting that group. When you found out that badge was on there you said, ‘Hey we can’t be doing that because these guys, I served on their board and they want to get rid of our public lands.’”

“You also didn’t even disclose to the public when you filed for this position that you belonged on that board,” Tester added. “Why? It wasn’t because they were a great organization doing great things for our public lands. It was because they wanted to get rid of our public lands and you were a part of that organization and you didn’t want anybody to know about it.”

As HuffPost first reported, Sheehy failed to include his post on PERC’s board in his Senate financial disclosure — a violation of Senate rules that Sheehy’s campaign chalked up to an “oversight.” Since its founding in 1980, PERC has called for privatizing federal lands, including national parks, and been a staunch opponent of Montana’s unique stream access laws, which provide anglers and recreationists virtually unlimited access to the state’s rivers and streams, including those that flow through private property.

Sheehy’s pro-transfer comments and ties to PERC have been a consistent thorn in the side of his campaign, which over the past year has run a damage-control effort aimed at recasting Sheehy as a champion of public lands. Sheehy’s campaign recently aired a public lands-focused TV ad that featured a current PERC board member, and last month sent out public land mailers to Montana voters that included a picture of Sheehy wearing a flannel shirt with the PERC logo clearly visible on one sleeve. More recently, Sheehy’s team doctored a TV advertisement to remove PERC’s logo from the shirt he was wearing.

At Monday’s debate, Sheehy said Tester’s attacks against PERC are part of a pattern.

“The reason that organization has been criticized by Jon Tester is simply because I was affiliated with it,” he said. “And this has been their plan this entire campaign. If Tim Sheehy is affiliated with anything, attack it, tear it down, smear it.”

If Monday’s debate shined light on anything, it’s that Sheehy has gotten an earful from Montana voters who support protecting and preserving federal public lands. But unlike Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.), who credited voters with changing his mind on transferring federal lands to states when he ran against Tester in 2018, Sheehy is refusing to acknowledge the reason for having walked back, or disguised, his anti-federal land views.

Whether Sheehy’s newfound opposition to pawning off public lands would survive a six-year Senate term remains to be seen — if he manages to defeat Tester in November.

During the debate, the Montana Republican Party took to X, formerly Twitter, to defend their candidate against Tester’s repeated swings.

“@SheehyforMT will work to preserve and expand public access to your public lands and he will KEEP PUBLIC LANDS IN PUBLIC HANDS!” the party wrote.

Just three months ago, the Montana GOP — the party Sheehy is seeking a leadership role in — adopted a party platform that explicitly calls for the “granting of federally managed public lands to the state, and development of a transition plan for the timely and orderly transfer.”

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tj99er · 8 months ago

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Teej I know you're a Doris Downer by trade but I don't think you're appreciating that this is a really pretty and also really unusual and rare phenomenon.

The moon is precisely big enough and far away enough to allow this to happen, no other planet I've ever heard of has this setup where the moon so perfectly intersects with the sun. If you can't appreciate the beauty you can at least marvel at the sheer unlikeliness of this, this is so cartoonishly astronomically unlikely that it almost feels designed. I wouldn't be shocked if a religious person used this as evidence of a creator god, setting the world up just right so only its special little guys get to see this event.

I originally became aware of this "perfection" through OSP's video on eclipses here: https://youtu.be/_yzdLvV24VA

It is, incidentally, really difficult to get your eyes on an eclipse for so many reasons (and if you say you can just look at photos I will personally find you and hunt you down to tell you the unfunniest A press jokes on heaven and earth until you die of cringe and shame). If you can ever spend the time when one happens, seriously, try and show up there. This is pilgrimage-worthy!

Is this a reputation I have? Am I known for being a downer?

Cuz, if that's how I came across, I think it's awesome that people are so enthusiastic about something like a solar eclipse. (and if anything, am both endeared by and envious of that passion). It's just not the kind of thing that grabs my interest, personally

There's undeniably a lot of incredible science behind what makes a solar eclipse even possible and nothing about my lack of interest in it should discourage anyone else from losing their shit about it.

Just because something is rare, doesn't mean it always warrants a massive reaction. If that were the case I could go on all day about how crazy it is that I was born exactly the way I was, or the insane impossibility of the fact that I went viral, or even just the chances of meeting one of my closest friends.

An infinite number of statistically impossible things happen every single day so I just think it's silly (endearing) to see someone so passionate about one specific phenomenon (and one that we've been aware of for decades)

I hope not too many read my post as being a downer, otherwise I have some self reflection to do regarding the tone of my posts.

I just thought there was a comedic contrast between Yoko completely losing their shit and me just going "ah yes. Rock go in front of sun"

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curian · 2 days ago

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Honestly, I'm surprised no one has done a USSR Au of the smiling critters, yet it seems like a really cool concept to me. I imagine the lore would go something like this.

AU name: Priklyucheniya Druzhby-(Adventures of friendship)

Since PlayTime Co. Was one of the biggest toy manufacturers in the USA (in my headcanon), the USSR had a spy planted there (as essentially every major company had a Soviet spy at the time), and through that spy climbing the corporate ranks of PlayTime Co. They come to know of the bigger body experiments, and the USSR takes an interest in this report by their spy (why wouldn't they? Effectively immortal beings, that could be the size of giants? Well, that'd be absolutely marvelous for wars and the space program!).

So the spy sends over copies of the research, and the USSR gets to making knock-offs of the PlayTime bigger body experiments. The only difference is that they conduct experiments on animals first to refine their technique. A consequence of this extra refinement is that they cause the animals they experimented on to increase their intelligence.

(note- look, I just don't want to put more kids through the paces, plus it's not entirely impossible. I'd say that the Soviet government would probably have plenty more resources to refine this procedure than a single American company.)

Therefore, they simply take animals from the Russian wildlife and create a knockoff cast of the smiling critters (plus a few) to show how much better they are than the Western world. The experiments being made from animals once coming out of the procedure have the intelligence of about a 12 - 14-year-old, and all goes surprisingly swimmingly! Once the Cold War is over, they are given a small section of Russia to live on (presumably somewhere in Siberia) since they're still priceless research and a marvel of science. They're just chilling in the present-day.

Onto the cast.

All of the cast started out a neigh 1:1 copy of the original smiling critters till they grew into their own beings as they continued to get older.

(Dogday equivalent)

Orlan (my profile pic)- Being one of the first successful experiments by the Soviet Union, they were surprisingly really chill about the whole thing despite the great pain of the experiments themselves. They were one of the dogs that were picked up by the Soviet government (so their breed is unknown), they say their current living conditions are honestly quite the upgrade from what they had previously. They're the more level-headed one, usually the mediator of the group. Acting like a tired dad 99% of the time, they just done with the others bull and hope for them to just get along already (they've known each other for nearly 50 years for crying out loud!).

(Bobby equivalent)

Ulyana- mutated from an Ussuri brown bear, they're definitely temperamental, still following a more territorial approach to their shack, if you touch anything, she is not unwilling to get into a fistfight with you over it. Though she is the mother of the group, making sure that they get enough to eat. They also have a tendency to over protect every single one of them, like they are her own children due to her own cubs dying in the beginning stages of the USSR bigger body trials.

(Hoppy equivalent)

Nadezhda - mutated from a long tailed ground squirrel, they're the very first successful bigger body experiment by the USSR, so while the oldest experiment, they are definitely not the oldest in the group that'd have to go to Ulyana (who was a 17 year old bear when she was mutated a fact that ulyana taunts Nad every time age comes up in a argument). They're the main gossiper and smuggler of the crew, getting them things like VHS copies of shows, (somewhat) new clothing, board games, gasoline, ammo (they hunt for food what ya expect they can't exactly waltz into a supermarket), and other doodads.

And that's all I can come up with. Currently, if anything else comes up, I'll make additional posts about the cast and their names and whatnot. I'll probably also come up with characters sheets eventually and additional details.

#smiling critters au #smiling critters oc #smiling critters #poppy playtime #Priklyucheniya Druzhby #Priklyucheniya Druzhby AU

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watchingeverydcmovie · 10 months ago

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Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941)

I am watching every movie based on a DC publication in release order, for more information, see my pinned post.

First movie, Adventures of Captain Marvel from 1941.

Release Date: 3/28/1941 (This is the offical release date but also confusingly not the date the film was released, but instead the date that the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges.) IMDB Rating: 7.2 Age Rating: Passed Runtime: 3 Hours, 36 Minutes/12 Chapters

GENERAL -

Adventures of Captain Marvel is considered the first comic book character adaptation ever. Captain Marvel (now known as Shazam) was not owned by DC at the time of this serials released.

In general, the plot is about Billy Batson going on an archological expodition with a team, meeting a wizard, gaining superpowers, and then his team steals this artifact and then they're hunted down by a masked villan called the Scorpian who they very quickly realize is a member of their own group.

MY REVIEW -

Is this movie good? Questionable.

It has not aged well, and I wasn't expecting it to have, but oh boy, is there a lot of rascim in this thing. Otherwise, it's engaging enough, if repetative, and it's very often uninentionally funny. The format that serials of the time used means that every chapter ends with a cliffhanger, which often leads to unnecessary drama being added that you can guess the resolution to before watching the next part. This also didn't need to be as long as it is, and there are often plot points that were definitely added just to add runtime.

That being said, I think Frank Coghlan, Jr. as Billy is an extremely likeable lead. He's generally sweet and charasmatic, and I like the movie most when Billy, the female lead Betty, and their friend Whitey are together.

I think the action scenes are well choreographed if a little silly, and all of the actors are pretty good overall.

Final Rating: 4.5/10

Would I watch this again? No. Maybe if it was shorter.

RANDOM THOUGHTS -

Billy Batson spends this entire movie getting knocked unconcious. In fact, all of the characters do. There is so much head trauma in this movie, it's unreasonable, but extremely unintentinally funny. I wish I had coutned how many scenes end with or contain a character just getting knocked on the head and going unconcious, it has to be upward of twenty. Also, when Billy wakes up, he's always gaged, even if other charcters who are with him aren't. This makes sense considered that he has to say the word "Shazam" in order to turn into Captain Marvel. However, it absolutely *doesn't* make sense when you add the knowlege that absolutely nobody knows he's Captain Marvel or that Captain Marvel needs to speak to use his superpowers.

There's one scene where Captain Marvel rescues Betty from a group that kidnapped her and then turns back to Billy before she wakes up. Before she got kidnapped, she was attempting to get to a certain location before the bad guys, and Billy assures that he'll get there faster on his plane, and then brushes her off when she attempts to go with him. I saw this and was thinking "Ah, yes, Billy Batson, who is Captain Marvel, who can fly, does not actually own a plane, and will instead turn into Captain Marvel and simply fly there with his superpowers." Imagine my surprise, when Billy then goes to airport and gets into an actual fucking airplane. Why did that do that?? What was the point??????? The man can FLY.

I think I am far to used to modern superhero comics and movies where, like, "should the hero kill the villain" is posed as a tough moral quandry and the answer is usually "absolutely not", because Captain Marvel kills SO MANY PEOPLE. And not even the main villain, someone else kills the main villain, Billy just throws a henchman off the roof of a parking garage at some point. He gets his powers and immidiately goes lethal.

I'm also extremely used to the Captain Marvel/Shazam narrative of "very young boy gets superpowers and looks like an adult", which means that this movie's "young adult man gets superpowers and turns into a just slightly older but different man" is very funny.

FUN FACTS -

To achieve the special effect of Captain Marvel's transformation, the production team apparently put a trough of flash powder in front of Frank Coghlan, Jr. who played Billy and ignited it, which apparently lead to Frank Coghlan, Jr. losing a few eyebrows if the wind was particularly unfavorable.

Frank Coghlan, Jr. also apparently did not know who Captain Marvel or Billy Batson were before getting the role.

They used a paper mache dummy to achieve the flying effects from far away. It is incredibly obvious when they do this and also very funny.

#dc comics #dcu #shazam #captain marvel #movie review #movies #billy batson #1940s movies #watching every DC movie even if it kills me #seriously this is the first one and I'm already losing my mind just a bit

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the-monkey-ruler · 2 years ago

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Hiya! How're you doing today?

Also, quick question, about the post regarding the Four Monkeys (with LEMH, SWK, Long Armed Gibbon and the Red Bottom Ape in the movie poster), was there ever a release date? A friend of mine's told me about it, but they sadly didn't know.

It had me antsy every since, because I fell for Macaque in LMK, and I wanted to branch my love for the character off to other media with him in it :3

From the source, I usually use I haven't seen any update on them either sadly. I have heard it got pushed back due to COVID and perhaps will be coming out in 2024-2025 but that it just rumor than anything certain

But in the meantime there are loads of Six Eared Macaque-centered movies out there, however, I cannot say they are similar to the interpretation presented in Lego Monkie Kid.

1928True and False Sun Xingzhe真假孙行者 - no link

1950How Nazha Thrice Tricked the Six-eared Monkey哪宅三戲六耳猴 - no link

1983 Real and Fake Monkey King真假美猴�� - available

1986 Journey to West 西游记 - available (tv series only in few episodes)

1996 Journey to the West 西遊記 - available (actually 1998 season 2 and its a tv series only in a few episodes)

1999 Legends of the Monkey King 西游记 - available (tv series only in few episodes)

2009 Monkey King 美猴王 - available

2016 A Chinese Odyssey Part Three 大话西游3 - available

2018 The New Legends of Monkey - available (tv series only in few episodes)

2019 The Monkey King: The True Sun Wukong 美猴王之真假孙悟空 - available

2021 Monkey King: The One and Only 大圣无双 - available (inspired character)

2021 Six-eared Monkey 六耳猕猴 - available

2021 Marvel Monkey 六耳猕猴之妖王重生 - no link

2021 The Monkey King: True and False Monkey King 齐天大圣之真假美猴王 - only trailer available

2022 Journey to the West: True and False Monkey King 西游记之真假美猴王 - no link

2022 King of Confusion: The Rise of the Great Sage / Four Monkeys in Confusion 混世之王：混世四猴 /混世之王之大圣崛起 - only trailer available

I really hope you are able to enjoy more media with this particular character and see how other creators have interpreted him from Xiyouji!

I would really recommend 美猴王之真假孙悟空 or 美猴王 myself! In 美猴王之真假孙悟空, they have it that the doppelganger has his own memories wiped and HE doesn't even know he the fake and low key the audience doesn't know either making it all that more dramatic and the OG Sun Wukong is forced to question if all his memories are fake! And 美猴王 is just so interesting how they gave him a whole backstory and to be a foil to Wukong his entire journey of being the Monkey King, seeing his slow fall from friend to enemy.

六耳猕猴 is such a funny interpretation, almost Robbie Rotten vibes if I have to put it down really. 1996 西遊記 is really cute as he is just a child! The poor thing! Also that series is... the best honestly I would recommend that to anyone. If you want a really good one-to-one from the book than the entire 1986 西遊記 would be a good bet if you are going for accuracy.

I wish I had 六耳猕猴之妖王重生 cause that deals with his next life after he was reincarnated and how he deals with being hunted by demons from his past life as the Six-Eared Macaque. What the did to him in 大话西游3.... NO SHORT OF INSANE. You would need to watch 1 and 2 before seeing that though... it's just so out there.

A lot of directors seem to have had fun with the evil clone/twin trope and I hope that there are more creative

#six eared macaque centered #six eared macaque #liu er mihou #jttw #there are a lot of interpretation of this character and I hope that people are willing to play more with him as a concept #there is so many different stories you can make with the evil clone/doppleganger stroy #I hope we get more about the other two monkey in more media...#also like that 1999 西游记 just straight up made him part of his mind like they were skirting around that #He really was just a part of himself he needed to accept #and accept that means beat in a fist fight #ask

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blade-liger-4ever · 3 months ago

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About the X-Men's Place in Marvel

So I saw a post or two about how people say you have to read/watch the X-Men as if they were a separate entity from the wider Marvel Universe. These posts also brought up how it "doesn't make sense" to have the mutants discriminated and hunted by the powers that be in every telling of the story.

I have some solutions to that - all of which won't be accepted by the companies in charge of Marvel/the X-Men for some years.

Step 1: Establish that mutant discrimination is rampant primarily/only in the cities.

Have snippets throughout the Marvel Universe where the big cities like NYC, Chicago, Seattle, and all those types have various reports demanding laws against mutants, or restrictions placed upon mutants solely because they're "inherently violent", or "studies show mutants are naturally volatile and a danger to society", or what have you. Furthermore, with how these cities are renowned for broken families, domestic abuse, and high crime rates, the likelihood of a mutant kid falling in with a gang or other bad apples is through the roof. They'd be proving these narratives right, as well as fueling the "studies" done by those in power in the cities.

The reason you could and should do this with the X-Men is how mutants, as the "next step of humanity", prove the notion of transgender to be folly by their sheer existence. Follow the science, gender is a construct, etc, right? Well then, why were these kids born with powers and not the other half over here? Logically, some biological factor is at play.

But that means the "experts" would have to acknowledge biology as fact. So, to keep up the smokescreen of "there is no definition of a woman", they'd have to throw the mutants under the bus and label them as an aberration in the gene pool. Heck, you could go to town with Trask if you went that route.

Step 2: Have the rural parts of America at most wary of mutants, and indifferent at least.

Anyone who has lived in the American South or even the Midwest knows that you've got all manner of people there: whites, blacks, Indians, Asians, mixed race - the list goes on. Those same people also all tend to be part of a community that sees past the skin color and accepts them as family, so long as the individual - regardless of race - is an upstanding citizen and doesn't have a severe criminal record (i.e. hasn't raped or abused others). However, while it's a welcoming environment and open to all manner of community activities, these locations are still full of abuse victims, drug dealings, and trafficking.

So, when mutants are discovered in the South or Midwest, the parents and others in the community have to make sure that Johnny across the street isn't a mutant because 1 his father is an alcoholic who beats him, 2 his mother is a drug addict and has been in jail so long no one remembers what she looks like, and 3 he's a known delinquent. If he has powers, who's to say he won't use that to take his anger and pain out on the town? And then there's little Suzy down by the courthouse. She's got loving parents, good family and friends, but can be pretty arrogant. If she gets or already has powers, what's to stop her from trying to go out and be a hero? Or worse, if she picks a fight with the wrong guy, will she be used as another example of "the Mutant Menace"? And my own kids, they're bein' taught right, but what if they get the same idea if they turn out to be mutants? Or what if they have a temper tantrum, and the cops come and take them away?

There's a lot more to think about when you put mutants in that perspective, now isn't there?

Step 3: Have there be a clear line between anti-mutant sentiment and pro-mutant sentiment.

Think of the pro-life and pro-abortion policies for a moment. We all know there's two sides, one saying "life doesn't begin until X time" (pun not intended), and the other saying "life begins at the moment of conception."

Now, throw mutants into the mix.

Imagine a woman who has been raped. She's traumatized, and aware that she's now pregnant with her rapist's child. Add on to the factors of her life - single, full or part-time job, on her own in a city - and not only would the doctors tell her to abort the child, but add, "Besides, what if it's a mutant? You're already at risk, and studies show how dangerous and erratic mutants are. If you don't abort the child, you'll be at risk just as much as your neighbors."

That could be a separate plot line entirely on its own in the Marvel Universe. Imagine the X-Men fighting not just for mutant rights, acceptance, etc, but for the ones without a voice. You could get so much more out of that, and everyone is sleeping on the potential!

Conclusion

There are many routes to show that the X-Men can coexist not only in the wider Marvel Universe, but doing so without making them metaphors for the gay and trans community. Doing that to the X-Men is an insult to not just the characters and the morals they uphold, but to Stan Lee himself. Many times he said that the X-Men were not representative of that community; the only reason that lens was applied to them was because of the perverted Chris Claremont, who wanted everyone gay, and only because of Jim Shooter did we not have guys kissing each other - or girls kissing each other - for a couple of decades.

I know this will get me much hate, but I don't think I care at this point. I love the X-Men, I love the morals for which they stand/stood, and I love the stories that have been and could be told with them. And I'm tired of seeing everyone demand they be gay, or be in a separate universe from the now streamlined Marvel characters.

Please, just think about the true, good elements of a story you could tell with them, without taking them away from the rest of the Marvel cast.

#marvel comics #xmen #x men #x-men #marvel universe #politics #anti lbgtq #anti trans #catholicism #pro life #anti abortion

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doctorofmagic · 4 months ago

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What's next?

Blood Hunt is over and, as ever, I feel compelled to share my thoughts and expectations/predictions. And make it double because you know this post will be longer since we're talking about my favorite doctors, and that means apologies in advance ~

As already mentioned before, Stephen's suspicion was debated whether Victor was the one pulling the strings behind the event or not. And I suppose it isn't necessarily true at this point. I see Victor (at least, the current characterization of his entire persona) as one of the smartest opportunists in the Marvel universe. Tracing back a couple of years to his latest appearances, it happened a few times: he took part of Dormammu's power when he teamed up with the Guardians of the Galaxy and the X-Men; he created his own team of mutants, using it to create connections and collect debts, as well as stealing a seed of Krakoa; despite being a flashback, he used Eddie and his symbiote to study immortality in order to save his mother and also obtain the Darkhold, among many other schemes. He is, after all, a villain, and seeks power and control, although his motivations are unique to his character, which means he will do as he pleases.

In other words, Victor is complex. His ego and pride exceeds every hero's and villain's in this fictional universe, meaning that, despite his alliances, he will betray his partners if the opportunity arises. Go ahead and ask Namor. It's part of their dynamics.

(Fantastic Four v1 #6)

And yet, no matter how many times, his frenemies will always end up meeting with him once more, especially when it comes to save the world from bigger threats.

(Avengers/X-Men: AXIS #8)

In short, he's always eager to betray his allies but has a very strict code and takes an incredible amount of pride when it comes to his word. It's very contradictory of him, but it's part of his complexity. Take a look, for instance, in these following panels: he makes an alliance with Eddie, betrays him by stealing his symbiote and, when defeated, stays his hand and doesn't send his arm after Eddie.

(Venom: Lethal Protector II #4-5)

With all that in mind, my intent here boils down to what happened in Blood Hunt and the relationship he shares with Stephen.

(Blood Hunt #5)

First of all, Victor doesn't consider this a betrayal. Stephen used his words poorly, and an opportunity emerged. It IS convenient, it IS shady, and he is aware of that. But that's what Doom does.

Secondly, Victor wouldn't mind betraying Stephen if he didn't respect him. Why am I saying that? Because he has done it before to several allies, as I just discussed. And he doesn't care. But this isn't some random guy who only had something he wanted. This is the man who went to literal hell with him in order to save his beloved mother. They fought as much as they teamed up. Victor saved and took Stephen's life in different moments.

There's this gray area of respect that was totally exploited and taken advantadge of. And of course it was, Victor is an antagonist. It's the drama sauce being cooked here.

But that doesn't mean that this is the end. And here comes an important part -- whether you consider it biased or not by own my interpretations: what comes next?

I don't believe for a second that we're getting a new Secret Wars or a new portrayal of a tyrant. As I stated before, Victor craves acknowledgment, which comes as his need to rule and control things his way. This is why he declared himself the true savior of the planet.

(Blood Hunt #5)

Having the mantle is an accomplishment to his status of power. Or so he thinks. What he doesn't know is the pain and loneliness Stephen has been through by carrying this duty. It's not a blessing, it's a burden.

(What If? Magik Became Sorcerer Supreme)

I believe this is the point of having Doom as the Sorcerer Supreme. It's a mantle every magic user craves, but no one is truly aware of what it means. And Victor is about to find out.

As for Stephen, I've collected all the sneak peeks from Doctor Strange #18 that Pasqual posted on ig (here). And he's really depressed for losing the mantle, just as I suspected. In here, we see that he's reminiscing the moment he gave Victor a piece of his soul.

I strongly believe this will play an important part in the story. Because Jed's Stephen carries such a compassionate soul filled with overwhelming altruism and love. Yes, there's a piece missing in Stephen's soul, but what that piece will do in a heart of iron like Victor's?

See where I'm going with this...?

This is what I have in mind, of course. And, unfortunately, it really depends on the next writer. Some of them really enjoy Victor's shallow villainous side. But if we get someone who sees through Doom's layers, we're really walking towards to an interesting reading. Which means we can expect anything at this point, from Secret Wars level of tyranny, leading the sorcerers to retrieve the mantle, to a wholesome character development that will shift the scales of their relationship.

Lastly, before I conclude this post, I just want to touch some points regarding technicalities. In my opinion, I don't believe Jed was forced to conclude his Doctor Strange run(s) because of MCU!synergy. I'm not saying there isn't synergy at play here, but Jed has been hitting Doom since Strange v3, way before this year's announcement. He IS the one who wrote Blood Hunt, after all. Still, I'm really saddened that he's concluding his trilogy. No one has ever shown such a level of passion towards Stephen and Clea like he did. And I was really blessed to witness it all from the very beginning. I don't know what's coming next for Stephen, but I'm pretty sure he will not be disappear completely. Sided? Unfortunately, yes. It's Doom's time to have the spotlight. But definitely not completely gone.

With that in mind, I'm aware that this conclusion caused discomfort and mistrust in the fandom. It's hard for me to love these two characters who are intertwined in a frenemies relationship and not feel excited about it. But I hear you. I see them both with depth and love them even in their flaws. And I hope that the next story will highlight these aspects. I can always be wrong. But if I can offer just a little of comfort, I will always try.

This isn't a goodbye. We still have the last DS issue. That one will be harder. But we've been through so much worse, right? No matter what, this Sanctum will always be open.

#doctor strange #stephen strange #doctor doom #victor von doom #analysis #character analysis #marvel comics #wednesday tomes #jed mackay

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